29. lip 2013.

It's been a while since I've done this post. I can blame it on the lack of my free time but quite honestly nothing that I've read lately made me stop everything and sit down and write this post. But yes it has happened now. I want to share a very special book and lovely quote with you. This time it's only one but it means more to me than some book would.

I like to think that nothing's final, and that everyone gets
to be together even when it looks like they don't, that it all works out even
when all the evidence seems to say something else, that you and I are always
young in the woods, and that I'll see you sometime again, even if it's not with
any kind of eyes I know of or understand. I wouldn't be surprised if that is
the way things go after all - that all things end happy.

You can check my review for Tiger Lily too. I wanted to post more of this quote but then it'd spoil some things for you. I guess you'll have to read the book then ;)

28. lip 2013.

Struggling to put her life back together after a tragic
mountaineering accident kills her college sweetheart, twenty-one-year-old Holly
Treadwell is trying to set aside her grief, forge ahead in school, and find
herself again.

When Carter Hansen, a guy who brings back horrible
memories from the night of the accident, finds his way back into her life,
Holly’s unsure if she should let him in. He terrifies her in more ways than one
and invokes feelings in her that she thought were buried forever. Regardless of
her fears, she knows she must face him in order for her heart to heal.

Everyone tells Carter that what happened on the
mountain that night was just a terrible accident, but even then, he can’t help
but carry around the guilt and is unable to forgive himself. He’s drawn to
Holly and being near her helps ease his conscience and gives him the release he
needs.

As Holly and Carter’s relationship grows, they
begin to realize that the more time they spend with one another, the more their
wounds begin to heal—her grief and his guilt. But when Holly learns the details
about the night of the accident—what everyone has been keeping from her—it will
rip open old wounds and tear apart what they’ve both worked so hard to overcome…

As soon as I overcome my biggest fear concerning New Adult novels, which would be typical new adult story that has been told so many time before, I'm able to enjoy and live with the book. Luckily for me I overcame that fear almost at the start cause it was different here. It has some typical elements but still it was a different kind of love story.

This book has a really strong and captivating start and it drags you into the story right away. It starts with an accident, while it might not be the newest trick in writing it wasn't something that I expected for sure. After the accident that happened to her boyfriend Holly gets lost. Grief eats her whole and she is not capable of pulling her life together anymore. At some moments when everyone would give up and mark her as lost case her friends is still standing and battling for her. Jenna is hard as stone and she does everything to pull Holly out of her mystery and she succeeds. Holly get to do normal things again but still many things hurt and one of them is seeing Carter. I can't tell you for what reasons as you find out most of the things later in the book. But as Carter is actually Jenna's boyfriend roommate it's inevitable for them to see each other. That's how they both get to free themselves from grief and find a way to enjoy in life together. Even though there is still a secret that might destroy everything.

For once it's not typical bad boy and good girl story and for that I'm really thankful. I was able to fully enjoy this story and yes I cried cause I wanted to see them both happy. Even though some things bothered me like Carter's struggle to say some things still I was able to understand cause he didn't want to lose something that was making him whole.

Rating: 5 stars.About the author

Heather London is a young adult and new adult author who
loves to write stories full of romance, fantasy, and science fiction. She
is a lover of only the finest of coffee and premium craft beer, but
will settle for anything chocolate, regardless of its quality. Heather
lives with her husband in Dallas, TX where she is currently working hard
on her next project.

27. lip 2013.

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl
with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old
Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the
alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately
falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike
anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her.
As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants,
Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking
everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with
marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life
she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies
threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of
Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads
Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the
most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York
Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the
romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

I honestly hate writing my monologues and stuff. I prefer getting right to the point or in this case reviews, but sometimes I have to do this so you could understand my review. There is a story about retellings and me - I don't read them. I do feel bad most of the time but I'm stubborn as it is. I don't want nothing to ruin my favorite fairy tales because they made me the person I'm. I've grow up reading them and they made me love reading and created the imagination within me. As you can see I've read this retelling. Here is the thing - I didn't know it was a retelling. Dammit I didn't know it was about Peter Pan at all. Zemira just told that it was an awesome book and it was all what it took me to read the book. Now if you're expecting the disaster, sorry you won't get one.

There is a perfect moment for reading some books. Well for example you need a whole day ahead of you to completely enjoy this one. It's slow and for me like a ballad. Unfortunately I couldn't afford that but still there is always rereading for that. I'm getting to the story. So here you get something I believe you're all familiar with - Peter Pan. I should tell you that he is probably my fist bookish crush and it's still on. The narrator this time is Tinkerbell. We're here reading about the time before and during captain Hook's visit to Neverland. Before Wendy there was a girl called Tiger Lily who showed us more about Peter and lost boys than we knew. It's beautifully written with imaginable descriptions and lovely events. It was so easy to relate with Tiger Lily, because she is me and I'm her deep down. No matter what she did and even though she did some things I don't approve still that little girl who is growing up in Neverland and trying to find her way in life is all of us. We were all lost in this world and didn't know what we wanted or who should we become. But a lot of times in life you have to make a choice and sometimes you have to let go no matter how it's hard. Only you'll always have memories.

I really enjoyed this story even though it was a bit slow at the beginning. Also the letter broke my heart completely. I can't say goodbye to Neverland cause the piece of my hard will always and forever stay there and I'll go there again and again no matter what.

26. lip 2013.

You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass' pick

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the
new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too.
She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben
misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben
can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to
blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be
helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything
he can do to save the girl he loves.

Expected publication: November 12th, 2013

Tanja's pick

"Jacob was time out of sync, time more perfect than it
had been. He was life the way it was supposed to be all those years ago. That's
what all the Returned were."

Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both
joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died
tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've
settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the
grace of time.

Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their
doorstep--flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

All over the world people's loved ones are
returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's
a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on
whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for
sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave
family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse,
forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to
unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.

With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional
depth, award-winning poet Jason Mott explores timeless questions of faith and
morality, love and responsibility. A spellbinding and stunning debut, The
Returned is an unforgettable story that marks the arrival of an important new
voice in contemporary fiction.

25. lip 2013.

Hello. It's another Tuesday and it basically means it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday. It's a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish were we picks top ten picks on certain tasks. These are my top ten books I've read so far in 2013.

24. lip 2013.

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working
shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school.
His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that
social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits
him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict,
controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. But even after
they each find a way to move on and lead very different lives, can they outrun
their family stories — and will they ever be able to come together again? Set
in Australia and narrated in alternating points of view, here is an affecting
look at the evolving lives of three friends from talented new author Emma
Cameron.

Not so long ago I've heard of this book. It was Keertana's review and then I knew that this book was for me. First of it was written in verse and second it was by Aussie author (you may have heard of this book as Cinnamon Rain which is if you ask me one of the best titles ever). I can't even describe how happy I was once when I got approved at NetGalley.

It sounded like a mix from heaven. Somehow poetry is not really my thing but then YA stories written in verse are one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. I admire when the author is capable of telling you a story in verse, how he/she makes it flow.

This book wasn't an exception. It's a sort of typical story about growing up and trying to run away from the painful reality hoping of finding a better place under the stars for you. Or in other words:

I want out of this place.

With no reminders.

It stings -

sulphur tears

in cinnamon rain

That's in this case mostly in Casey's part of the book. I forgot to mention that this book is told from three point of views and divided into three parts. Every part is told by different character and their situation is explained. The story starts with Luke and then it goes to the girl he secretly loves Casey and then it switches to Bongo. It's magical how even when you go to the second or third narrator and it does confuse you for a moment but you get used to it. I must admit that I connected with Casey right away and even though I don't agree with some of her decisions I could forgive her easily and then there is Luke and he is a sweetheart - meaning I couldn't but fall for him.

Emma Cameron's character sounded so real in this book and their problems were something you could easily relate to. Still I think I expected too much for a debut novel. I can't help but compare this book with other verse novels and unfortunately it won't make it to the top of the list. Still I'll gladly read anything Emma writes just because I believe that with every book her words will gain more emotions and then take me by surprise.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,***NOTE: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the author, Candlewick Press , via NetGalley. Thank you.I'm not paid for writing this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal.

The sleepy town of White Halls harbors a dangerous
secret. On a picturesque street, two houses down from a lovely little park, in
a quaint little home with a wraparound porch, lives a family that seems rather
normal. Sure, their twenty-year-old son, Xander, still lives at home, but he’s
going to college and dating the leader of the schools top sorority. It’s all
very… normal. However, when a man is miraculously saved from being hit by a
bus, Xander’s life turns in to the living embodiment of the tornadoes he can
suddenly create with a flick of his wrist. Whether he wants this gift or not,
Xander must learn to use his new ‘super power’ quickly if he wants to survive.
For his kind is a dying race, and when this sleepy town has a sudden influx of
new, blonde, fire wielders, no one is safe, especially Xander. It doesn’t help
that one of these blondes happens to be the most beautiful girl he has ever
seen. Xander can’t deny the instant connection he feels to her so, when she
tries to kill him, it certainly makes things complicated.

Excerpt (from chapter 15, secondary characters Sean and Jessica)

Sean pulled back the curtain and
glanced outside the window for the hundredth time that day. Nothing obscured his view of the parking lot
and the road beyond. Despite the densely
parked cars in the parking lot, he saw no sign of the blonde haired fire
wielders who had attacked him and Jessica.
The strangers seemed to have gone as they came.

He
let go of the curtain and let it fall back into place. Though it seemed as though the Fire Warriors
hadn’t followed him to his apartment, Sean refused to let go of the nervous
breath he was holding.

After
all the time that had passed since the fire in the park near Xander’s house, no
one had heard from his best friend. On
the few rare occasions in which Sean ventured out from his apartment, he had
asked some of Xander’s former classmates if they had seen him, which none
had. He hadn’t been to the school nor
returned to his parent’s home. His
friend had, for all intents and purposed, vanished.

Pushing
himself off the couch, Sean walked toward the kitchen. His refrigerator was running dangerously low
of food but there was always food to make into a decent snack. He knew the jokes Xander would make about
eating as a nervous habit but Sean felt justified in being nervous.

As
he opened the refrigerator and started pulling out lunchmeat, he heard a gentle
knock on the door. He froze, his hand
unmoving around the plastic turkey container.

“Go
away,” he whispered into the room.

He
didn’t know who was at the door but he honestly didn’t care. He doubted Xander would knock so gingerly and
no one else would be bringing him good news.

Sean
slid the turkey package out of the refrigerator as quietly as possible and
softly closed the door. Logically, he
knew that the person on the other side of the door couldn’t hear his refrigerator
closing. Normal people couldn’t hear
that, he had to remind himself. His best
friend could control the wind. The
people that were hunting him could throw fire from their hands. There was no telling if super hearing was
another of their hidden super powers.

As
he reached toward the stack of bread, the same person knocked again at the
door. Glancing around nervously, his
eyes fell on the bottle opener magnet hanging from the fridge. Sean pulled it off the fridge and held it in
front of him defensively. He left the
kitchen and walked toward the door.

When
the person knocked for the third time, it seemed far more insistent.

“Who’s
there?” Sean asked, trying to force some mock confidence into his voice.

“It’s
Jessica.”

Sean
visibly sagged with disappointment. He
almost wished it were one of the Fire Warriors.

“What
do you want?”

“Can
you open the door?” she said pleadingly.
“Please?”

Sean
sighed as he reached out and unlocked the door.
As he pulled the door open, he was surprised to see a fairly disheveled
Jessica standing before him. Loose
tendrils from her shoddy ponytail hung over her face. She didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup,
aside from the obvious lip gloss that caused the unnatural shine on her
lips. She wore a loose-fitting blouse
that was heavily wrinkled. Sean couldn’t
remember ever seeing her looking anything less than fully composed. Despite her
obviously harried expression, she still found the reserve to frown at her
nemesis.

“Sean,”
she said.

“Wicked
Witch of the West.”

She
opened her mouth to offer a sharp retort but quickly thought better.

“What
are you doing here?” he asked.

“I
didn’t know where else to go,” she admitted sheepishly.

“You
didn’t have GPS on your broom?”

Jessica
smiled humorlessly. “Are you done?”

“Not
by a long shot,” he replied.

“Go
ahead. Get them all out of your system.”

“You
figured the inside of my apartment would keep you out of the life-ending
rain? Your flying monkeys ran out of
likely candidates to kidnap? You do
realize I don’t even have a dog named Toto, right?”

“Can
I please come in now?” Something in her
voice caught Sean off guard and the humor seemed to bleed out of the
situation. He nodded and stepped out of
the way.

As
she entered the apartment, he closed and locked the door behind her.

She
walked a few steps inside before turning toward him. Glancing down, she noticed the bottle opener
in his hand.

“What’s
that for?”

Sean
looked down and seemed equally surprised to see it still clutched in his
hand. “I don’t know. I figured I could stab someone with it if I
had to.”

“You
got that from the kitchen?” she asked.
“Why didn’t you just get a knife?”

Sean
was genuinely dumbfounded by the question, especially since he didn’t have a
logical answer. He tossed the bottle
opener onto the couch angrily.

“Shut
up. You still haven’t even told me why
you’re here.”

“I
told you, I didn’t know where else to go.
I’ve been totally freaked out ever since the other night. I’ve barely slept. I’ve barely eaten.” Her voice lowered to a soft whisper. “I think one of those blonde guys has been
following me.”

“And
you came here?” Sean yelled before throwing a hand over his mouth to silence
himself.

“You
came here?” he said again in a harsh whisper.

“I
told you. I didn’t know where else to
go. No one else would believe me if I
told them some guy set my car on fire using only his hands. You have no idea how hard it was to explain
what happened to my car to my dad. I had
to give him some totally crazy story about a drunk homeless guy.”

Sean
stormed past her before pausing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Did you even stop to consider what would
happen if you really were being followed?
You could have led them right to me!”

“Oh,
yeah Sean. You’re practically 007. Everyone’s trying to hunt…”

The
words faded from her lips as someone knocked on the door. The stern knock was the complete antithesis
to Jessica’s soft knocking from earlier.

Jessica
started to whimper but Sean stepped forward and clamped his hand down over her
mouth.

“Stay
quiet,” he whispered.

Sean
slipped past her and eased his way to the door.
Leaning forward, he glanced out the peephole. The man on the other side of the door was
unmistakable. His close-cropped blonde
hair and dark leather tunic looked identical to the man that tried to kill Sean
at Xander’s house.

“Is
it?” Jessica asked, leaving the end of question hanging.

Sean
nodded as he inched his way back to her.
The Fire Warrior banged loudly again on the door.

“He
followed you here, remember? If he wants
in, he’ll just burn the door down.”

“Then
what to do we do?”

Sean
stroked his hairless chin. “You’re going
to open the door.”

“Oh
no, I’m not!” she replied sternly. Jessica
placed her hands on her hips and flipped the few hanging tendrils of her blonde
hair out of her face. “If you want the
door open, you’ll have to be a big boy and do it yourself.”

Sean
frowned. “You’re going to open the door
so that I can attack him. Unless you
want to attack him, that is.”

Jessica
quickly shook her head. “No, that’s
fine. I’ll get the door.”

Sean
disappeared into the kitchen as Jessica moved to the door.

“Ready?”
she asked.

Sean
leaned around the corner and nodded. She
held up three fingers and silently counted down. When she dropped the last finger, she
unlocked the door and threw it open.

The
Fire Warrior on the other side seemed temporarily startled. He quickly overcame his surprise and stepped
into the room, chasing after the retreating Jessica.

She
stumbled backward and fell into the middle of the room. The tears already threatened to fall down her
face as she stared at the frightening warrior entering the room.

The
Fire Warrior smiled wickedly and extended his hand. The tips of his fingers ignited as flames
danced over his hand.

“Sean?”
Jessica sobbed.

“Here
I am,” he replied, stepping through the kitchen door. He held up the large red cylinder in his
hands and pointed the nozzle at the confused Fire Warrior.

“Suck
on this, dude.”

Sean
squeezed the handle to the fire extinguisher and the far end of the room was
consumed in white powder. The cloud
sprayed over the Fire Warrior, extinguishing the flames on his hand, as he was
covered head to toe in white foam. Sean
held down the handle until the small extinguisher ran dry and sputtered in his
hand. As the cloud settled, the entire
room was coated in white foam, to include an undignified Jessica who sat
sputtering on the floor.

The
Fire Warrior coughed loudly as he seemed frozen in confusion. Sean paused, realizing that he hadn’t thought
through his plan beyond spraying the man with the extinguisher. Despite him being coated in inflammable foam,
Sean was still facing a vastly physically superior man.

“I
really didn’t think this through,” he muttered as the Fire Warrior reclaimed
his wits and stormed toward Sean.

Sean
gulped and dropped the extinguisher, as though releasing the weapon would
alleviate him of the blame.

The
warrior reached Sean in a few large strides and grabbed him by his shirt. Despite Sean’s weight, the Fire Warrior
lifted him from his feet and pinned him against the wall.

A
hollow thud suddenly echoed through the room.
The smoldering glare in the warrior’s eyes disappeared as his eyes
rolled up into his head. The Fire
Warrior pitched to the side, his arms going limp and releasing Sean in the
process.

Jessica
stood behind the warrior, clinging to the extinguisher like a club. She looked nervously at the unconscious Fire
Warrior.

“You
think he’s going to be okay?” she asked.

“Who
cares,” Sean replied, laughing nervously.

Jessica
dropped the extinguisher and smiled weakly.
Sean returned the smile before spreading his arms and motioning her
forward.

“You
did great,” he said as they hugged one another in relief.

For
a long moment, they stood straddling the unconscious blonde man, embraced in
each other’s arms. Suddenly, as though
remembering her surroundings, Jessica stiffened.

“You
know that we’re only hugging because I’m so relieved to still be alive, right? Nothing more?”

Sean
nodded quickly. “Of course. Sure.”

“I
mean,” she continued, “if it weren’t for the fact that someone just tried to
kill us, we wouldn’t even be caught dead in the same room, right?”

“Sure,”
he said softly as he took in the smell of her hair cascading past his face.

She
paused and turned her face toward him.
“Did you just smell my hair?”

Sean
arched an eyebrow as his face flushed in embarrassment. “No, no, of course not,” he laughed
nervously. “That would have been weird!”

“This
moment’s over,” she said sternly, pushing him back.

As
they separated, Sean inadvertently kicked the unconscious Fire Warrior. The man groaned softly. The pair looked at each other again, suddenly
remembering what brought them together in the first place.

“What
are we going to do about him?” she asked.

Sean
shrugged. “I guess we tie him up?”

“He
makes fire out of the air, Sean. What’s
to stop him from just burning through his ropes?”

“Then
we put him in the shower?” he offered.
Her withering stare ended that train of thought. “No, you’re right. That was a stupid idea.”

Jessica
shrugged. “Yeah, but I don’t really have
a better one.”

About the author

Jon Messenger (Born 1979 in London, England) serves as an
United States Army Captain in the Medical Service Corps. Since graduating from
the University of Southern California in 2002, writing Science Fiction has
remained his passion, a passion that has continued through two deployments to
Iraq, a humanitarian relief mission to Haiti, and an upcoming deployment to
Afghanistan. Jon wrote the "Brink of Distinction" trilogy, of which
"Burden of Sisyphus" is the first book, while serving a 16-month
deployment in Baghdad, Iraq.

Wind Warrior is Jon Messenger's break
through novel published through Clean Teen Publishing.

22. lip 2013.

When you look at a picture, what do you see? We gave authors
around the world the challenge to write a story based on a set of five images.
More than thirty authors rose to that challenge and created an amazing young
adult anthology of drabbles, short stories, novelettes and novellas for you to
enjoy. Flip the pages and prepare to be Wonderstruck!

Dive into a world where wind is a power that feeds the flames
and love makes everything more complicated. A life where a scorned bride can
cause a great deal of trouble and a place where silence as you will find out
has a lot to say. Find yourself in a future where a powerful enemy can only be
stopped by the most dangerous weapon of all: the truth. All of this and more
lies within these very pages... Are you ready?

Wonderstruck is Clean Teen
Publishing's first break through Young Adult anthology. All stories within this
book have fallen within our YA rating scale, however, not all stories have
young adult characters. You will find a great deal of entertainment within
Wonderstruck that is appropriate for readers of all ages. To view more
information on our official content rating system please visit: www.cleanteenpublishing.com

The sleepy town of White Halls harbors a dangerous secret.
On a picturesque street, two houses down from a lovely little park, in a quaint
little home with a wraparound porch, lives a family that seems rather normal.
Sure, their twenty year old son, Xander, still lives at home, but he's going to
college and dating the leader of the schools top sorority. It's all very...
normal. However, when a man is
miraculously saved from being hit by a bus, Xander's life turns in to the
living embodiment of the tornadoes he can suddenly create with a flick of his
wrist. Whether he wants this gift or not, Xander must learn to use his new
'super power' quickly if he wants to survive.
For his kind is a dying race, and when this sleepy town has a sudden
influx of new, blonde, fire wielders, no one is safe, especially Xander. It
doesn't help that one of these blondes happens to be the most beautiful girl he
has ever seen. Xander can't deny the instant connection he feels to her so,
when she tries to kill him, it certainly makes things complicated.

Winning Novelette

Pastiche by Maren Dille

A punishment far worse than death awaits Alim Hamal. Sylin
Incorporated has a particular sentence for their rogue assassins: uncovering
the darkest moments in their subconscious, then watching as they relive them
through virtual simulation. Only one assassin has ever escaped. Alim plans to
be the second.

The simulation demands the truth, something Alim has kept
from his employers at all costs. But as his final moments emerge, Sylin will
discover that the truth is Alim’s most dangerous weapon.

Winning Short Story

The Silent Man by Kati Ellis

I thought my time with Silence would be peaceful. Heaven
knows I deserve it after all those years of raising babies. Silence, however,
had a different plan. If it weren't for Marigold, I don't think I would've seen
it. She introduced me to the Silent Man, and Silence, as it turns out, has quite
a bit to say.

Eric, a widowed paralytic, knows he is dreaming when he sees
a younger version of his deceased wife, Jessica, by a lake with his old dog.
But the joy of seeing them again is replaced by the pain of knowing they won't
be there when he wakes up.

Jennifer Bull

Short Story~ A Wizard's World

When Jack stumbled upon a strange jar in the
middle of the forest he found the one thing he had always wanted—a friend, and
now he’ll do everything he can to protect her. Born into a world unlike any
other, a world within a jar, Lottie longs to explore beyond her glass home.
Little does she know that even the smallest adventures can have dangerous
consequences…

Drabble~ Life in a Jar

Drabble~ Round and Round I Go

Drabble~ Once In a Blue Moon

Liana Chau

Drabble~ Ahead and Beyond

MeMe Collier

Short Story~ The Fairy Jar

Gracie doesn't believe in magic. Disillusioned by their
mother's abandonment, she dismisses her younger brother, Brennan's, claim that
he's caught a fairy. But as the invisible Ileana works in her family's lives,
memories of their mother's fairytales tug at Gracie's mind. They call into
question everything she's come to place her faith in, making her wonder if
magic really does exist and if love still lives on after loss.

Leah D.W.

Short Story~ Watery Grave

There is something in the water...something dark...something
hungry...

When Ashlynn escapes from a life of abuse she is thrown into
the swamplands rumored to harbor a nightmare. She should have listened to the
rumors because there is something in the water...and it loves the taste of
human flesh

Julie Gilbert

Drabble~ Keio and the Farsight Fire

Lisa Goldman

Short Story~ Oafish Me

In Oafish Me, teenager, Misty, considers herself a social
outcast—an oaf—as her classmates remind her every opportunity they get. When
Drake, a charismatic and gorgeous new student, stays by her side through their
constant ridicule, she discovers she not only longs for a friendship with him
but for the first time, a relationship. With her raw emotions on the line, she
accepts his invitation to go out but when he takes her to a secluded wooded
area, she starts to question if he is her knight in shining armor or her worst
enemy.

Dominique Goodall

Drabble~ Fairy Capture

Brenna Harden

Short Story~ A Warriors Journey

Sandra Havriluk

Drabble~ Jedidiah

Sacha Hope

Novelette~ Glass Heart

Wolt is a brilliant scientist trying desperately to cure his
wife's condition. Doctors suspected she had a type of cancer and their
medicines offered little help to the ailing woman. Wolt finds a way to buy time
for his wife, but his experiment turns her into something else altogether...

Erin Liles

Novelette ~ Outside the Walls

Outspoken, seventeen-year-old Jenna hates the settlement she
lives in where disagreement is frowned upon. Fed up, she leaves one day, and
meets a group of outsiders, only to discover that her home and family are in
danger. It is up to Jenna to save them and in doing so, discover what is really
important.

B.T. Lyons

Novella~ Heartkeeper Short Story

It only took fifty years for humankind to plummet from the
turmoil of a population of ten billion people to a struggling group of two
billion trying to figure out how to survive in harmony with the Earth. Under a
new, peaceful societal structure, people have relearned their connection with
the Land and the spirits of nature that live there. Young Adain has just
reached thirteen years of age, and must undertake the dangerous Heart Chase to
secure the spirit of an animal that will act as his conscience and companion
for the rest of his life. It will be a year of trials and challenges, but the
risks to the People may be even higher as someone else binds with an animal
spirit that may not have their best interests in mind...

Short Story~ Peace

London in the late 1800's is a dirty, chaotic, and above
all, loud place embroiled in a scientific war with neighboring France as each
strives to outdo each other with technological wonders. A young married pair of
university professionals finds themselves at odds over the benefits of this
war: Nigel only wants to see England prevail – preferably through his own
inventions – whereas his wife, Christine, dreams of quiet and a natural world
that she has only seen in storybooks. Enter a street-side vendor offering
“Peace In A Bottle”; this might be the answer to Christine's greatest desires,
but it could be the beginning of Nigel's worst nightmare.

Julie Marcinik

Short Story~ The Executioner

Vivian Fletcher has a gift that’s given her a special place
in the kingdom—the King’s personal executioner. Everything and everyone she
touches dies. When she finds out that the world she’s living in is full of lies
and turmoil, she’ll have to accept her gift and use it to right the wrongs.

Mia Marin

Drabble~ A Note To My Traveler

Drabble~ A Dear Dalliance

Miranda Maurin

Short Story~ The Dance of Time

Tabitha and Carter are a little too daring when they run
through a tunnel to investigate the mysterious music they heard while
running through the woods. The cave is well lit, and the dance looks fun, but
they can't seem to stop.

Veronica Morfi

Drabble~ Shine

Ifeoma Ofuani

Drabble~ He Would Be Great

Paula Phillips

Short Story~ Skye in High School Wonderland

It started out just like any normal day for high school
Plain Jane Skye Salisbury until tragedy strikes her school and out of nowhere, a
glimmering hole appeared. The question on everyone's minds is—what lies at the
bottom? Will it be another world or a different dimension?

Jocelyn Sanchez

Novella~ A World Unlike Mine

What would you do if you could see magical creatures from
the early age of five? Well, for seventeen-year-old Tasha it gets pretty
difficult when a fairy prince named Thomas appears with news that will change
her life forever. But with the help of her best friend and pixie, Seamus, Tasha
will find her place in a world so unlike hers. Will she rise to the occasion
and become who she was destined to be?

Drabble~ Night

Drabble~ Darkness and Light

Cindy Saunders (Clean Teen Publishing Author of Double Star)

Short Story~ Nirvana

She looked at the picture she’d painted many years ago. It
was a magical place—a place inspired by her dreams. Though, tonight it almost
seemed... alive, as if it were calling to her.

NEVER, EVER lock eyes with a Night Marcher! Everyone in
Hawaii has heard this warning, except for seventeen-year-old Emma Townsend,
that is. For most Hawaiians know that looking into the eyes of Night Marcher
can strike a curse that will end in death or eternal servitude.

Even though her father, who is a paranormal investigator,
solely raised Emma, she has little experience in the realm of the supernatural.
When she is forced to move with her father to Hawaii, only months before her
graduation, Emma finds that her world as she knows it, is shaken when she
starts seeing the unexplainable: fire balls in the distance, beating drums in
the middle of nowhere and strangers who vanish into thin air. Then one day when
she has a run in with a procession of Night Marchers, ancient Hawaiian spirits
wandering from their burial grounds to their locations of battles past, Emma
has no choice but to believe that the unbelievable does exist.

Now Emma must go on the run with the help of a mysterious
stranger, as they seek out how to free Emma from the curse of a Night Marcher,
who will stop at nothing to get her soul.

Guest post

Hawaii – Home of the Night Marchers

The Hawaiian Islands are notably one of the most spiritual
vacation destinations. With a rich history of mythology and folklore and
numerous sacred sites still standing, Hawaii’s link to the past is ever present.

The retelling of spooky ghost tales has been a favorite form
of entertainment and an important cultural link in Hawaii since ancient times.
Ghostly images or haunting acts have been reported in old buildings, deep
valleys, sacred burial sites, ancient temples called heiaus, forested areas,
beaches and lava fields. A good majority of Hawaii residents have either had a
spooky encounter at some point during their lives, or know of someone with an
eerie story to tell. One of the most popular subjects of ghost stories in the
islands is the Night Marchers, or Hukai-po.

Who are they?

Night Marchers are ghostly apparitions of a band of beings
who move with purpose to the beat of primitive pounding drums. Some say they
are armed spirit warriors en route to or from battle, toting archaic weaponry
and clothed in decorated helmets and cloaks. Other accounts tell of
high-ranking alii (ruler) spirits being guided to places of high importance or
to welcome new warriors to join in battle. Perhaps these restless souls are
looking to reclaim rightful territory, replay a battle gone awry, or avenge
their own deaths. Some say the Night Marchers are searching methodically for an
entrance into the next world.

Night Marchers are said to roam through very specific
locations on the islands, between seashore and mountains and are often
recognized by their raised torches and repeated olis, or chants. Although there
have been a few scattered reports of daytime marches, these apparitions appear
to be most active at night and are said to march on certain nights designated
by the moon. And although the Night Marchers allegedly float a few inches off
the ground, some local accounts tell of seeing mysterious footprints in their
path after they’ve passed.

Areas like the Nuuanu Pali Lookout, Kaaawa Valley and Kalihi
Valley on Oahu are rumored homes of Night Marcher trails, and nighttime
visitors are encouraged to be wary.

What to do when happening upon a night march in progress?
The ghostly procession must never be interrupted. Legend has it that resting
your eyes upon the Night Marchers could signal a grim fate for the perpetrator,
a friend or relative, so witnesses are urged to crouch low to the ground, “play
dead” and avert the eyes. Any sound or movement could invite a Night Marcher’s
deadly glance. These Night Marchers are set diligently upon their destination
and are not considered spirits that will deviate from their path to haunt
humans nearby.

Some characteristics of the mysterious night marches
include:

Heavy wind

Rows of spirits carrying torches

Alternating male and female rows

Accompanying lightening and thunder

Accompanying heavy rain or high surf

Chanting and drumbeating

Unusually bright torches

Game playing and revelry

Accompanying mist or fog

About the authors

Rebecca and Courtney are downhome country girls powered by
chocolate and other random late night cravings. Coined in southern twang they
bring new meaning to the word y'all. BFI's since the 6th grade, with a knack
for getting into sticky situations, has resulted in countless ideas to write
about for years to come.

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